In recent years, electronic devices have been developed with the ability to transmit and receive control and status information to and from other electronic devices, including controller devices. For example, electric meters in residential homes may now be commanded by a controller device to transmit the electric usage status of the home to the controller device. In another example, a controller device may command an air conditioner in a home to switch off power in an attempt to balance the load in a residential subdivision.
CEBus ("Consumer Electronics Bus") is a standard developed by the Electronics Industry Association's ("EIA") Consumer Group for governing the communications between such electrical (i.e., "consumer") devices and controllers. This standard specifies how the devices and controllers send and receive information, and the media available to them for communication purposes. In particular, the CEBus standard permits devices made by different manufacturers to communicate with each other in a residential setting over a "CEBus network." The standard is documented in the CEBus EIA/IS-60 specification, which is fully incorporated herein by reference.
Thus far, CEBus networks have been geared for "local access" control and surveillance. In other words, a controlling device needs to be located on the same CEBus network as the controlled device. In particular, no systems or communication protocols exist for supporting the control of devices located on a CEBus network by a remotely located controller that accesses the CEBus network via a non-CEBus network, such as a telephone distribution network. Such "remote control" capability would be especially useful to provide efficient control of multiple devices located on multiple CEBus networks--e.g., located throughout a residential subdivision--via a single centralized controller.
It has been proposed that remote communication and control of CEBus networks be implemented using modem links over conventional copper wire pairs. However, field trials have shown this approach to be unreliable and costly, due to incompatible communication protocols between CEBus networks and non-CEBus networks.
Thus, it would be advantageous to provide a system for reliable and cost efficient remote access to, and control of, devices on a CEBus network via a non-CEBus network.